Hiking through history
Anne’s friends Terri and Alberto are members of a hiking association. Today Anne and I were invited to take part in a group hike they were doing, and 40+ people showed up--perhaps so many due to the fact the weather was gorgeous and it happened to be “National Hiking Day” in Italy.
We awoke at 5:45 and were on the train north by 7:30. Terri and Alberto fetched us from the Civita Castella-Magiano train station and we met the others about 20 minutes later. We were of all ages and outfitted in a wide variety of hiking gear. I (the novice) simply had my jeans and running shoes Our planned trek was through the ruins of the Faliscan people who lived in the region, and our guide was a local historical expert.
Since the guide spoke only Italian, I can’t give you the particulars, but I can say that the Faliscan tribe lived in the region and buried their dead (along with their slaves) in the graves and caves we explored. The Faliscans were ancient people of southern Italy who, though Latin in nationality, were really culturally closer to the Etruscans. They occupied the region between the Tiber River and Mt. Ciminus, with present-day Civita Castellana as their capital. Rome began to intrude upon the Faliscans in 437 B.C. and eventually overtook them. Rome built a nearby bridge (which is still in use today), and used the Faliscan people to widen the roads and pathways for their own use.
The hike began at 10 and lasted until nearly 5. We walked through some beautiful areas--my favorite was along a creek and through a carved-out rock area that still bears some writing from the Faliscans. We’d each packed a lunch and ate it in the shade as the gorgeous landscape surrounded us.
Most of the path was gentle, but a few times we had to grab roping and hoist ourselves up and over things. Some of the grade was challenging but no one really had a problem. My only issue was not being able to understand the great Italian information the guide gave.
The trip back to Rome was quick (we took the fast train from Orte) and after our bike ride the day before (10 miles along Via Appia, 10 miles back) and our 8 mile hike today, I was exhausted!
We took the local (slow) train to Civita Castella-Magiano. Took nearly 2 hours and these seats were most UNcomfortable!
A quick Caffe Macchiato before the hike
Gearing up
The graves left clues of the Faliscan people. Check out the "highway" stones--left over from the Romans--very similar to the Via Appia road
Some graves were decorated. Others had carved facades
This was taken early on during the hike. Think we looked more bedraggled after 6 hours and 8 miles...
Our guide spoke only Italian. Dang! I missed a lot
2 centuries B.C. and one can still see the outline of the masterful work outside the tombs
Roman bridge
These little cyclemin, along with various ferns, dotted the banks for the stream
Vines hung in many places.
Our colorful lunch of meat, cheese, fruit, and tomatoes. I really felt we needed wine, but alas...
The Faliscans had to widen this area for the Romans.
If you look closely, you can see some roping we grabbed to help us hoist ourselves up.
